Supplemental rail tread



July 7, 1925 INVENTOR.

BY f

H. ETHERIDGE SUPPLEMENTAL RAIL TREAD Fileq April 2, 1925 K on. MATTORNEYS.

Patented July E 1925.

STATES ATENT "at e HARRY ETHERIDGE, OF ZELIENOPLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

$UPPLEMENTAL RAIL BREAD.

Application filed April 2, 1925.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY Ernnnmen, a citizen of the UnitedSta-tes ofAmericaand a resident of the borough of Zelienople, county of Butler,and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Supplemental Rail Tread, of which the following is a specification.

The passage of the wheels over a rail joint l9 causes the rail ends toflex and in a comparatively short time the tread of the rail becomesworn into a downward incline towards the end and at the end is generallydeformed. This deformation is character- 1 ized by grooves, flat spots,depressions and ridges in the tread and also a squeezing of the railend. These inclines and defornia tions in time extend for several inchesfrom the end of the rail and when marked necessitate the shortening ofthe rail or its replacement by a new rail. The result of such incline isthat the wheels sink as they travel over the joints, and the wear on therail ends soon becomes very excessive. This deformity at the rail endsis very destructive to the rolling stock, and is also unpleasant topassengers.

The object which I have in View is the provision of a practical andefficient supplemental rail tread for the joint, to prevent flexing ofthe rails at the ends thereof, and their wear and deformation.

My improved supplemental rail tread comprises a steel plate,either arolled bar or a steel casting, which is bolted against the outside fishplate, the bolt holes in the reinforcement being elongated to allow therails to freely expand and contract. The lower edge of the tread memberis so arranged as to be spaced about above the surface of the base ofthe fish plate and after being placed in position is securely weldedthereto with added metal. The top edge of the tread member forms asupplemental rail tread which carries the wheels over the rail jointwithout permitting them to flex the rail ends or to dip downwardly.

The upper surface or tread portion of the tread member is preferably ofhardened w steel to resist wear, and the same is formed by welding anarrow bar of such steel to the upper edge of the body of the member.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a broken perspective showing arail joint with my tread member in place; Fig. 2 is a sec Serial No.20,074.

tion taken along the line IIII in Fig. 1, showing the end of one railand also showing in section the fish plates and tread member; and Fig. 8is a side elevation of the rail joint, the rails being dotted in to showthe worn inclines, and the tread member being shown unwelded.

The following is a detailed description of the drawing.

A and B represent two alined rails which are connected together in theusual way by the fish plates C and bolts 1 which extend through theusual holes in the rail ends and through the usual horizontallyelongated holes in the fish plates, in accordance with the commonpractice, to permit the rails to freely expand and contract. D is thecross tie or other basic support under the joint.

I have indicated the downward step or incline at the ends of the railsat a and b in Fig. 3. v

E is my supplemental rail tread member which is a steel or iron bar ofsuflicient length to extend beyond the worn ends of the rail. The bottomedge of the tread member does not bear upon the base of thefish platebut is spaced therefrom and the lower edge is welded to the fis'h platewith added metal as shownat F; The bolts 1 also extend throughhorizontally elongated holes 2 in the supplemental rail tread and serveto aid in supporting it in position.

The application of the supplemental rail tread member is as follows:-The two middle bolts of the joint are withdrawn The reinforcement isthen placed in position against the outside of the outside fish plateand two slightly longer bolts are inserted and the supplemental railtread member drawn up into approximate position. v

The upper surface of each end of the tread member is then so adjusted asto be flush with the tread surface of the rail at a point where the railshows even wear. This may be done by tapping the member down, if toohigh, or prying it up, if too low.

The bolts are then securely tightened and the welding effected betweenthe bottom edge of the tread member and the top of the base of the fishplate. When this is completed any pressure on top of the tread memberwill be transmitted evenly throughout the same to the fish plate, thenequally through the fish plate, then evenly throughout both rail ends,thus preventing either rail from flexeither rail and'ineitherdire'ctionand with out any vibration during its flight.

The top surface of the tread member is straight and in the plane of thenormal rail tread. I prefer to form the tread of the member of hardenedsteel, a bar of the same, as shown at G being welded to the body of themember which may be of softer or cheaper metal.

In practice the wheel is carried over the joint by the tread member andthus the rail ends are not independently flexed and new rails, cannotbecomeabnormally or irregularly worn. In the case of worn rails, thetread member carries the wheels over the joint and does not permit themto dip down into the worn away portions, thus doing away with furtherwear of the rail ends and preventing jolting and jarring.

' The welded connection between the bottom of the tread member and thefish plate is of prime importance, for it enables the tread member tocarry the wheels over the worn rail ends.

A bolted joint must be arranged to allow for the expansion andcontractionjof the rails, and this necessarily involves considerablelost motion or looseness, permitting in dependent flexing of the railends. Thus, if the tread member were supported only by -the joint bolts,it would dip under the -wheels and failto relieve the rail ends ofpressure andwear; ,B-y welding the base of the tread member to the topof the fish plate base, I obtain a rigid support for the tread 'memberwhichdoes notpermit the wheels to sink into the rail ends, and thereforeis able to relieve-the latter of excessive wear.

This construction is not the mechanical equivalent of a fish-plate;upwardly extended so that its top edge may act as a joint bridge for thewheels. It is necessary to provide a tread member which may be adjustedvertically and at both ends before it is permanently fixedin placerelative to the fish plate, because the wearof the rail ends is notuniform and thetread member-must be adjusted'to compensate for varyingdegrees and characters of wear and deformation, so that a properregistration between theunworn or normally worn rail treads and thetread surface of the tread member is insured and maintained.

As I have explained above, my improved tread member is first set up bymeans of the joint bolts which are not completely tightened. The treadmember is then tapped down or pried up at both ends to bring it intoproper registration, then the bolts are fully tightened and the weld ismade. Such adjustment would be impossible were the tread member integralwith or previously rigidly attached to the fish plate.

Vhat I desire to claim is 1. For use in connection with a rail jointprovided with fish plates, a supplemental rail tread member mounted aainst the outside fish plate-and its top edge tangential with the top ofthe rail, while its bottom edge is supported in spaced relation to thebase of the fish plate, and a welded union between the base of thereinforcement and the fish plate.

2. For use in connection with a rail joint provided with fish plates, asupplemental carry the wheels over the rail joint comprising asupplemental rail tread member bolted against the outer side of theoutside fish plate and having its top surface adjusted at its endstangential to the normal treads of the two rail ends, and having itsbase welded to the base of the fish-plate,

4. For use in connection with a rail joint provided with fish-plates,means adapted to

